Preparation

“He must increase. I must decrease.” “It’s about relationships.” “Turn your heart toward home.” “Short Leash.” “Take a year.” “Reconciliation.” Each New Year God blesses me with a guiding word or phrase intended to direct my thoughts and decisions for the upcoming year. As is indicated by the sampling above, his directives are varied, yet always timely and life altering. Last year he rang in the New Year with the word ‘Preparation’ ringing in my ears. This made sense.

There I sat - a middle-aged woman; focused on being a stay-at-home mom for the past eighteen years; committed to raising children that would one day be adults who experienced joy in what their hands found to do, were motivated to yearn for relationship with God, love man, show compassion to all and contribute to their community.

There I sat - tending to a house full of growing teenagers’ needs, crises, and life preparations; being intentional about maintaining joy, trust and openness within the family structure; with an impressive resume full of fifteen years of volunteer service devoted to the biblical education and revelation of biblical relevance to the body of Christ.

There I sat - totally unmarketable.

It was time to prepare. An empty nest was staring me down, prodding me to be mindful of the transition I now faced. In order to be prepared for grown, independent children and fewer challenges and responsibilities at home, it was time to move toward a profession that could challenge and fulfill. In addition, with the recession hitting home, college tuition and various medical costs looming, the need for an income-producing career was imminent.

Preparation was at hand. I needed to be reintroduced to the market. To get a professional photo. To order business cards. To create a website. To network. To get my name out there. To put the professional edge on my storehouse of bible studies, conference presentations, discipleship intensives and educational curriculum. Preparation made sense. So, I went to work. For a good part of the year, I was intentional about addressing each of these needs. Yet through it all, I was stressed and frustrated. Anxiety hovered. Peace abated.

Then I participated in a Life Coaching Group. We began with the assumption that in order to be the most fulfilled, effective, joyful vessel for God’s glory and purposes, there are basic needs that must first be met. Solitude, Silence, Fellowship, Bible Study, Time with God, Rest, Healthy Diet and Exercise, etc. Through several wise, well-placed questions, I identified that which gave me a foundation of health, stability and peace.

Consistent bible study was high on the list, yet when counted was found wanting. I purposed to re-incorporate daily bible reading into my life pattern. Through a series of surprising, God-ordained, serendipitous events, I began a private facebook group full of women who likewise thirsted for the consistency of God's Word in their lives. The function of Bible Reading Fellowship is to be a loosely-tied, Bible-reading, revelation-sharing, sword-sharpening, accountability-fellowship as we read through the New Testament, one chapter a day, five days a week, with no meetings and no additional time requirements. A girlfriend challenged me to write the daily questions for each chapter. I accepted. Peace ensued. When reading, when researching and studying, I am at ‘home.’ When communicating revelations I have discovered, as well as striving to bring others to their own revelation of the beauty and wisdom in God’s word, I am at peace.

God called me to Preparation last year. I took this directive as the call to make things happen, and charted a course accordingly. I used the worldly pattern for achievement as my guide to successful preparation. This pattern, in and of itself, may not be evil or unspiritual. Yet for me, it was uninspired. That’s where the anxiety bred. That’s why the peace ceased. As I traveled my course, in my desire to be obedient to God’s directive, he mercifully helped me identify that which I am not called to do, and illumined that which I am. Through the divine creation of Bible Reading Fellowship, God brought me to that which comes as naturally as breathing; that which challenges and fulfills. Now it is peace that hovers. Anxiety has abated.

I still do not know what the end result will look like. All I can say right now is that I am prepared to experience the joy and peace in being all, and only, that which God created and called me to be. However worldly insignificant and unwise that may be.

The fullness of the lesson is yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, this I know: Today I am doing what he has called me to do. I am a teacher. A teacher teaches.

The Gift of Your Presence

“At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.”

Paul was in dire straits at this point in his life. He had been accused of stirring up riots, desecrating the temple, being an all-around troublemaker by the chief priests and leaders, spent two years in a Caesarean prison, faced more hostility and accusations, was put under Italian guard, and spent a grueling winter-long sail from the island of Malta to Rome, to face yet another trial. When Paul landed in Rome, these men came to meet him. And boy, were they a sight for sore eyes. Their mere presence brought encouragement to his spirit, gratitude to his soul, and a heart full of praise toward God.

Are the desperate and discouraged filled with gratitude and encouragement by the mere sight of you?

As we prepare to gather with family, friends, church members and co-workers for holiday festivities this week, it would be beneficial to be intentional about our interactions. What will your presence bring to those in need this Christmas season?

What's Your Response to Injustice?

I love how Acts 16:25 reports that: ‘Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.’ This would not be so noteworthy had it been on the Sabbath in the synagogue. Yet this was not the case.

This took place after they have been falsely accused, publicly stripped, severely flogged, thrown in prison, and fastened to the stocks. The crime? Doing what God called them to do – praying, honoring women, setting the oppressed free. Do you know what else grabs my heart? The end of that sentence simply states, ‘and the other prisoners were listening to them.’

How do you respond to tragedy, injustice, persecution? Would your behavior honor God before man?

Do you think it is reasonable to respond differently at work than in a social situation?

If a competitor treats you or your business unjustly, or an ex-employee maligns your reputation, how would you respond?

Are You a Door Opener?

So much on my heart and mind—not sure where to begin except to state: I’m not Linda so don’t expect the deep, thoughtful and profound communication she is so good at.

As she prepares for an upcoming speaking engagement she needed someone to do the weekly blog. I thought a good topic to blog on would be about opening doors for others. It’s something that has been on my heart for awhile because I see it happen a lot with the Christian men leaders I get to associate with but I haven’t seen it happen as much for us gals. Why?

I’d like to propose a few reasons, some may have validity and others may just be my way to voice concerns, either way, if you’re reading this I hope it prompts you to think about doors you need others to open for you and doors you need to open for others.

#1: You’re too self-reliant to let others know you need a door open. (This one hurt!)
#2: You may not think you’re worthy to have others open doors for you.
#3: You don’t want to be ” duty bound” to help when others need it because life is just so busy, overwhelming or unpredictable that you can't imagine doing one more favor for someone else.
#4: You’re not sure what the “rules” are for playing.
#5; You’re jealous of the God-given gifts of other women so you can’t possibly open doors for them to succeed because that means you won’t. (What a lie-when we lift Jesus higher, He draws all men to Himself. How do we lift Jesus higher? By walking confidently and assuredly in His gifts demonstrated by our lifestyle).
#6: You’re a perfectionist and nothing others do is going to be good enough, so if you can’t do it yourself, it’s not from God.
#7: You’re indecisive and tossed by every wave that comes your way so you don’t know which door to ask others to open for you.

Do any of these resonate with you? If so, what do you need to do or who do you need to reach out to? Take the next step and see what happens. It’s all a grand adventure when we live outside our comfort zone, anyway!

Something To Be Thankful For – For Sure!

Acts 10 describes the calling, purification, baptism and Holy Spirit filling of Cornelius’ family and close friends. This was a monumental moment in the early church; God included Gentiles in the blessings originally promised to his chosen people. It changed the face of what the Christian-Jews thought Christianity was going to look like.

(Has God ever radically changed your understanding of His Kingdom?)

Even beyond Old Testament prophecies, this event was foretold within the Jews’ own traditional writings. I find this fascinating:

“the Jews themselves own, that what is now unclean, will be clean
in the time to come, or the times of the Messiah; they say, ‘every
beast which is unclean in this world, the holy blessed God (htwa
rhjm), cleanses it, in the time to come, (the times of the
Messiah,) as they were at first clean to the sons of Noah (Genesis
9:3), wherefore, as the herb was clean to all, and as the beasts
were clean to the sons of Noah; so also in the time to come he will
loose what he has bound, or forbidden.’”
John Gill, biblestudytools.org

I am certainly thankful God has loosed what was forbidden. I am certainly thankful God has included me in his saving purification!

What are you thankful for?

Are You The Most Effective Negotiator You Can Be?

This past Thursday, That’s Extraordinary hosted Shawn Scudder, an accomplished professional with 25 years of diversified experience in many professional and technological sectors. The topic? The fine art of negotiating.

Through Shawn’s quieting, evaluative style, our discussion flowed from “What are the differences between men and women’s negotiation styles,” to “What are the keys to effective communication with business men and women from different economic, generational, and geographic cultures,” to “What can I do to earn a new contact’s trust?”

We landed upon what was quickly identified as a hot topic: What is a woman’s role in business interactions with men? (Is a ten-foot pole even long enough for that one?)

Here’s a thought: Way back in Genesis 2:18 God says he created woman to be “a helper suitable.” Helper, the Hebrew word ezer means succor: somebody that provides help or relief. Suitable, neged, refers to: those which are alike, corresponding to one another. In essence, God was saying, “I will make someone like him to provide relief for him.” In context, we see that one of the ways in which the woman was to provide relief for the man was to help him tend to the task God had just commanded - to work the Garden of Eden and take care of it.

Woven throughout scripture are portraits of women carrying the foundation of their purpose into various sectors: Esther used her influence as a liason and lobbyist for her nation, the Proverbs 31 woman successfully negotiated in business dealings, and Deborah exacted her power in government, just to name a few. Deborah, a judge and leader in Israel, knew that the way to carry out God’s will for the advancement of her nation was to provide help for her male counterparts (Judges 4-5).

What if the way to effectively negotiate with, communicate to, and earn the trust of our male business counterparts is to build our approach upon this same foundation? What if we communicate from the viewpoint that our presence is vital in the proceedings because we are there to provide a source of relief; what you have to offer will help them effectively tend to their tasks at hand?

What would you have said had you been in that meeting?

Do You Have What It Takes?

Paralyzed at times by feelings of inadequacy?

Feeling overwhelmed? Like you might just not have what it takes?

Matthew 25 gives us a glimpse of what God’s perspective on that matter is:
God entrusted his property to each according to their ability.
If God has called you to a task, he has also given you the ability to carry it out!

“(The Kingdom of God) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. The he went on his journey.”

Allelujah! I need this reminder every day. The King, owner of all talents, distributer of all gifts, entrusts me with HIS property. He knows every hair on my head. He is the designer of this clay pot. He knows what I have the ability to carry out and what I do not. His word says He will not entrust us with more than we have the ability to care for.

I just breathed a sigh of relief.

An admonition follows this encouragement: “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

Where do you want to be when the Lord comes back to settle accounts? That sounds a little ‘fire-and-brimstone-ish’, doesn’t it? I think mostly it represents the facts that Jesus is coming back; that he expects us to use his property to procure more of the same for his kingdom; and that we will be asked, ‘What have you done with all that I’ve entrusted you with?’

Personal Application: ‘Master, you entrusted me with _______________. I trust that you know I have the ability to carry it out. Using that ability and those gifts, see, I have _____________________.

Ahhhh, how sweet the sound: ‘Well done good and faithful servant!’